As part of the Memory and Reckoning series, Polish composer Wlad Marhulets has written a new opera, told through the musical language of klezmer. Adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel by Rutu Modan, The Property tells the story of Regina Segal (mezzo-soprano Jill Grove) and her granddaughter Mica (soprano Anne Slovin), who travel to modern Warsaw to try to regain family property lost during World War II. As their journey unfolds, Regina is forced to confront painful truths about her past, including her history with Roman Gorski (baritone James Maddalena). Meanwhile, Mica navigates a relationship with their Polish tour guide, Tomasz (baritone Nathaniel Olson), and realizes their reasons for coming might not be all that they seemed.

Lyric Unlimited's commissioning of The Property and choice to present it concurrently with The Passenger was inspired by the life and cultural identity of Passenger composer Mieczysław Weinberg. As a Polish Jew and the son of a Yiddish theater conductor, Weinberg's formative years were steeped in klezmer and Jewish liturgical music-defining influences that later informed his compositions. And he, like Property character Regina Segal, fled his homeland to escape the Nazi occupation.

The Property draws on the Eastern European and Jewish references from Modan's original story and incorporates traditional and modern musical styles to illustrate that the work exists on two planes: memory and modern day. Stephanie Fleischmann, librettist, adapted the novel with Eric Einhorn, who directs. This chamber opera is scored for a cast of six singers and an instrumental ensemble of six players, including members of Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band.

On sale now through the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts ticket office. Click on your date of choice above to be redirected to the North Shore Center website and begin your purchase.

Memory and Reckoning and The Property is supported by an Anonymous Donor, Seymour H. Persky, and Mary Stowell, with cosponsorship by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Mr. and Mrs. Eric L. Hirschfield, Joyce E. Chelberg, the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, with additional support from the Katherine A. Abelson Educational Endowment Fund, an Anonymous Donor, Raymond and Inez Saunders, and Penelope and Robert Steiner.

Lyric Unlimited was launched with major catalyst funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and receives major support from the Hurvis Family Foundation.